ESA Recovery Planning

Twelve Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead species are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Of these, five species with Evolutionary Significant Units (distinctive groups of Pacific salmon or steelhead) in the Lower Columbia / Willamette domain are listed. Another species is currently proposed for listing.

Columbia River Endangered Species Act Fish Listings

These Lower Columbia / Willamette listings, which became official just as the Estuary Partnership’s Management Plan was being printed, galvanized attention on these species and the importance of the lower Columbia River and estuary.

With regard to the lower Columbia River, two major elements have moved forward that deal with ESA issues in the lower Columbia River.

ESA Committee
NOAA Biological Opinion

ESA Committee
Action 18 of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (Management Plan) calls for the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership to “Coordinate federal and state threatened and endangered species recovery activities in the lower Columbia River and estuary, and help local communities meet species recovery requirements.” While the Estuary Partnership considers more than salmonids in its efforts to protect the lower river and estuary, it recognizes that degradation to that species is an indicator of the overall declining health of the ecosystem.

Since the Management Plan was completed in 1999, salmon recovery activities have provided an opportunity for the Estuary Partnership to further define how it will implement Action 18. The listings brought significant attention to threatened salmon species and to the lower Columbia River and estuary.

In early 2000, the Estuary Partnership organized a forum titled: “What elements are needed for effective recovery on the mainstem Columbia River?” Participants included local, state, federal, and tribal government representatives. The discussion revealed three general categories of need: leadership and education; partnerships and collaboration, and river needs. Additional, though less formal, forums were held throughout the year.

ESA Executive Committee Forms
On December 22, 2000, then Governor Kitzhaber (OR) and then Governor Locke (WA) requested the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership address two ESA related lower Columbia River issues:

• coordinate efforts to identify on-the-ground actions that could be implemented in the next five to ten years; and
• coordinate a policy level collaborative effort, largely among federal agencies, to secure the significant funding necessary to lead to species recovery.

On January 11, 2001, the Estuary Partnership invited a number of stakeholders involved in these issues to meet and discuss how to respond to the Governors’ request. About 50 key stakeholders and interested parties attended and discussed different approaches.

Based on meeting feedback, the Governors appointed a policy level ESA Executive Committee to coordinate recovery efforts on the mainstem Columbia River. They asked the Estuary Partnership to coordinate and staff the committee since collaboration and coordination are primary roles for the Estuary Partnership. In addition, the Estuary Partnership already had many Board members who were interested parties and stakeholders, and the Partnership had demonstrated the ability to engage broad constituencies. Initially, the Estuary Partnership coordinated and staffed the ESA Executive Committee. Initial Committee Charge and Progress

In May 2001, NMFS invited a large group of interested parties to join them in a discussion about how they could proceed with Recovery planning, specifically, writing a recovery plan for the Lower Columbia and Willamette listed species. Phase 1 included the Technical Recovery Team (TRT) providing biological goals and technical guidance for ESA recovery plans. Phase 2 would integrate other goals with the biological goals and determine needed actions. The tasks include: set productivity goals for populations; identify needed actions and schedules; prioritize populations, areas and actions for funding and implementation; identify responsible parties; and monitor and adjust. A viable recovery plan will also require extensive public involvement and support.

The ESA Executive Committee agreed that this work on recovery planning was part of its purview and agreed at its November 1, 2002 meeting to the following roles in the NMFS process.

Lower Columbia/Willamette ESA Salmon Recovery Executive Committee
Today endangered species recovery planning in the lower Columbia River is being coordinated by the National Marine Fisheries Service Salmon Recovery Division. The Estuary Partnership remains active member of the “Executive Committee for Lower Columbia and Willamette River Salmonid Recovery” but no longer coordinates or staffs the meetings.

The Lower Columbia/Willamette ESA Salmon Recovery Executive Committee provides regional leadership and guidance on recovery planning; assures understanding and involvement on the part of agencies or constituencies represented; integrates TRT work with policy and administrative matters; concurs with biological, administrative, and broad-sense de-listing goals; and addresses issues of interdependency in developing and deciding upon recovered ESU scenarios.